Death of a Hero
by Phoenix Skyfire
Summary: It's been thirty years since Calamity Ganon has been slain. Link, hailed as a hero and champion of Hyrule in recent years has become reclusive, only speaking to Sidon, current King of the Zora's. He pushed away his new friends he met cause of memories of old ones. It's time to make amends.


Death of the Hero

An older man sat on the edge of Zora's Domain looking out over the crystal clear water. His once golden blonde hair now grey with age. He wore a blue tunic that was faded with age.

A red zora walked up near the hylian and sat down on the edge next to the older man.

"How are you doing Link?" Sidon asked, looking over at the hero that had saved them over thirty years earlier. The hylian had aged quicker than normal.

Link looked over at the zora and smiled. "I'm doing okay... for now."

Sidon blinked, looking over the old man. "For now? What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said." Link said softly, pulling his eyes away from the zora, before looking back at the water of Zora's Domain. "Sidon... would you send out a few letters for me?" He asked suddenly.

"Of course Link. I always would." Sidon said looking at the old man.

Link reach into his tunic and pulled out a few letters. He held them out to Sidon without looking at the zora.

Sidon took the letters, looking at who each of the letters were going to. He blinked seeing four letters, one to Zelda and the other three were to the descendents of the champions.

"I'll make sure each of these letters go out today, but may I ask why you felt the need to write? It's been nearly six years since you sent a letter." Sidon asked as he was the only one Link talked to on a regular basis in recent years.

Link looked over at Sidon with a tired smile. "You'll find out soon. The letters ask each of them to come visit." He said slow pushing himself up onto his feet.

The hero turn away from the edge and slowly walk back to where he had been staying since he started living with the zora.

A week after Sidon sent the letters per Link's request, all four people he sent letters to came to Zora's Domain.

"Welcome to Zora's Domain friends!" Sidon cried out, welcoming everyone

"Hello Sidon." The now towering gerudo replied to the King of Zoras. "How has the zora been?"

"Great and the gerudo?"

"They are doing well." Riju replied with a smile on her face.

"King Sidon." Zelda said stepping up, the older woman's hair greying with age, and bowed to the zora.

"Now Zelda. No need to be formal. I know you all aren't here for me." Sidon says with a smile to Zelda, before looking around at everyone around him. "I know Link's letters asked you to visit, but I didn't expect everyone at once."

Teba stepped up next to Zelda. "Link's letter requested I visit on this day, so I would dare to venture that everyone received the same request."

Everyone else nodded their head confirming what the rito said.

"I see. Well... Allow me to lead you to Link. He has been home for the last week." The zora king said, turning and heading into the domain. "He asked I leave him alone until you all came."

Everyone got close to Links place, before hearing a loud coughing fit, causing Sidon to rush ahead towards the sound with everyone following after.

"Link!" Sidon cried out entering to heros home, only to see Link bent over in a coughing fit.

"I... I'm okay Sidon. Don't worry about me." Link said as his coughing fit slowly stopped.

"Link?" Riju called out entering the house, causing the hero to look at her and sadly smile.

Shortly after Riju entered so did Zelda, Teba, and Yunobo.

"You all came... I was worried some of you might ignore my letters." Link admitted, as he slowly stood up straight.

Zelda walked up to Link and wrapped her arms around the man. "Now Link. Why would we not come when the man who saved all our lives called for us?"

"Because i've been a crotchety old man who didn't even wanna talk to his friends anymore." Link said, returning the woman's hug.

Zelda pulled away allow Riju to walk up, placing a hand on the hero's shoulder. "Perhaps, but we also all knew how you've been fighting since Ganon's fall."

The old man looked down at the ground for a moment before looking up at the friends whom had gathered around.

"Thank you for staying by me even when I don't deserve it." Link said softly.

Yunobo walked up beside Link and light slapped his back. "You will always deserve us staying beside you." The goron said with a massive smile on his face.

"Correct." Teba said sliding up next to the hero's other side, placing one of his hands on the man's shoulder.

Sidon stepped up behind the hero placing both hands on his shoulders from behind. "I've stayed with you this entire time. And I won't stop now." The zora king said proudly.

Riju smiled as the four men smile happily. She stepped up herself and took Link's hand into her own.

"I, myself will also stand by you. As chieftain of the gerudo and as a friend." The tall woman said with a smile on her face.

Zelda looked at the champions together a smile on her face.

"Zelda?" Link's aged voice called to the hylian queen. "What about you? You... haven't said a lot since you got here."

"I am also at your side Link." She said with a smile.

The hero looked around at his friends all smiling at him and smiled brightly himself. "If you all can spare the time... I'd like one last journey together, all of us together."

"Last journey?" The goron said confused.

"Now Link, you don't need to sound so final. We will have plenty of..." Riju started to say before the old man stopped her.

"Time? No..." He said sadly. "That healing pod I was in had a side effect." He said, pulling away from everyone, walking towards a window to look out. "I'm been aging faster than normal, and I can tell... and feel it in my very core... My time is coming... I get weaker each day. It takes me longer with each day to get up and walk. Soon... I will fall to the sands of time. So please..." He said, turning to look at his friends. "Humor an old man. Allow him to have this last wish."

Four hours later the group of six was cresting over the hill leading to the spring where Vah Ruta stayed. As the spring came into sight, the ground saw no signs of the divine beast, until not a few moments later it broke the waters surface and rose on its massive legs towering above the group.

Link continued to walk towards the mechanical beast a smile on his face. Quickly the rest of his friends caught up, wanting to stay near the man. As they came closer to the waters edge Vah Ruta turns towards them and lowered its massive trunk, till the tip was even with the top of the water.

The hero never stepped walking as he stepped onto the trunk. He looked towards his friends and motioned with his head for them all to follow and step onto the beast with him. One by one each of his friends stepped onto the trunk of the beast. Once the last one stepped on the platform lurched as Vah Ruta raised it's trunk high into the air, as high as it could go.

"Wow..." Riju called out, seeing how the landscape looked from so high.

Link slowly took a seat at the edge of the platform and looked out over the land. Riju followed suit, sitting on the hero's right, while Zelda sat down on his left.

"This is beautiful." Zelda said, looking out over the land. They were so far up they could even see Hyrule Castle in the distance.

"That it is." Riju admitted, before looking over to see the rito, Teba, sit down next to her, while Sidon sat next to Zelda, and the large goron stood behind them.

Over the next few hours the six friends talked about different things, all of them remaining as they were when they first got comfortable on the trunk of the divine beast. Only two had changed positions and even then it was minor. Yunobo had moved to sit down behind the ground instead of stand, while Riju had leaned over to rest her head on Link's shoulder.

"I think it's time we all head back." Zelda said as the conversation slowed up.

Riju looked up seeing the sun going down. "Yeah. It's getting late and we all need to get back." She said pulling her head away from the hero and sitting up fully.

Yunobo stood up along with everyone else, while Link stayed seated.

"Link?" Sidon said looking down, seeing the man still sitting.

He turned his head and smiled at the zora. "Would you mind taking them down yourself? I wouldn't mind a little alone time. I'll be ready by the time you return."

Sidon nodded at Link. "Sure. It will be two hours till i'll be back though."

The hero nodded his head. "I know." He said, looking over his friends. "Thank you for coming with me, i'd just like to spend some time in my thoughts now."

All his friends nodded with smiles. "We understand." Riju said with a smile. "Time for reflection?"

Link nodded to the gerudos question with a smile. "Yeah." He said softly.

"See you later then?" Teba asked, seeing the hero nod the rito smiled, before giving the man a thumbs up. "I'll just leave from here if that doesn't bother anyone." Seeing no one say anything he jumped off the beasts trunk before opening his wings and flying off towards his village.

Link just chuckled, before feeling the trunk lower itself back to where it had picking them up.

Everyone stepped off as Link remained seated. "I'll see you all again sometime." He said kindly, waving his wrinkled hand, as the divine beast raised it's truck high into the sky as it had been before.

"I see your alone?" A new voice said.

Link nodded not needing to turn to know spoke from behind him. Slowly a pair of red spectral arms wrapped around the man's neck from behind causing him to smile wider then he had in a long time.

"I've missed you Mipha..." He said softly, leaning back into the touch of the spectral zora that held him.

"I've missed you as well Link." She said, placing a soft kiss on the man's cheek.

"Why haven't you spoken to me in all the times i've visited Vah Ruta?" He asked, his eyes closed enjoying the womans touch.

"I couldn't love." Mipha admitted.

"Why not though?" The hero asked.

Mipha smiled sadly as she spoke. "Your spirit's chain to this world is fading. Because of that i'm allowed to help you now."

"So... i'll die soon?"

"In a few hours yes, and i'll remain at your side till the very end my love, and then together... We can walk into the light." Mipha said, nuzzling the hero's cheek.

Link softly smiled. "Will... will we remain together... even on the other side?" He asked, almost scared of the answer.

"Yes." She said happily. "We shall remain together."

Link smiled happily, before feeling Mipha moving behind him. She pulled away from the hero and sat next to him. She slowly moved the hero so he was laying down, his head in the zoras lap. The hero smiled up at the zora happily, and remained where she had put him.

Just over an hour later Sidon was waving goodbye to Zelda, Riju, and Yunobo when all four of them froze hearing the Divine Beast, Vah Ruta let out a cry of anguish. Only a few moments later, all across Hyrule, each of the divine beasts followed suit, letting out their own cries of anguish.

Sidon's eyes widened in fear and quickly turned around and rushed back up towards the spring of Vah Ruta. Yunobo as rolled up and was rolling up the hill as fast as he could, while Zelda and Riju ran to catch up to the two.

Because of their haste and fear it only took the four less than twenty minutes to reach the spring. As they reached the spring their eyes went up to where the Vah Ruta's trunk was still raised as high as it could, but they noticed movement. A person jumped from the tip of the trunk and seemed to glide down as if on wings. As the figure got closed they notice Teba was gliding down, along with another body on his back.

The rito landed softly before the ground and from his back lowered Link down to the ground. As he stood up from placing the hero on the ground everyone caught sight of of tears running down the rito's face.

They all rushed over and stood over the hero. His eyes were closed but a smile adorned his face. They all understood why the beasts had cried out. The hero of Hyrule. The man who beat Ganon. The chosen wielder of the master sword, had passed from this world.


End file.
